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No. 752,330. PATENTED PEB.16, 1904. A. DAVIS & J. H. BIRCH. AGETYLENE GAS GENERATOR.

APPLICATION FILED APB.29, 1903.

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No. 752330. PATENTBD FEB. 1a, 1904 A. DAVIS & J. H.Y'BIRGH.

AGETYLENE GAS GENERATOR.

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UNITED STATES Patented February 16, I904.

PATENT OFFIC AUGUSTINE DAVIS, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, AND JAMES H. BIRCH, OF ELKHART, INDIANA.

ACETYLENE-GAS GENERATOFI. I

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 752,330, datedFebruary 16, 1904.

Application filed April 29, 1903- To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, AUGUSTINE DAVIS, a resident of Chicago, Illinois, and JAMEs H. BIRCH, a resident of Elkhart, Indiana, citizens of the United States, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in'Acetylene- Gas Generators, of which the following is a specification.

Our invention relates to generating devices for the manufacture of acetylene gas, more particularly for illuminating purposes; and it consists in certain improvements upon the machine disclosed in and coveredby Letters Patent to Augustine Davis, No. 719, 091, granted January 27, 1903. The principal objects of the present invention are, first, a more advantageous location of the drainage-chamber and of the several pipes entering the same in a position where they can readily be gotten at for purposes of cleaning and repair Without the necessity of partially or wholly dismantling the machine, for which purpose said drainage-chamber is in accordance with our present invention located wholly outside of the generation-chamberof the machine; secondly, to get rid of the airspace in the generation-chamber, and thus lessen the danger of accidental explosions re sulting from the presence of an ignitable explosive mixture of gas and air in said generationchamber; thirdly, to get rid of air mixtures in the generation-chamber, which reduce both the quantity and quality of the illumination when the generator is recharged; fourthly, to provide a simple and effective water seal against the escape of gases and odor during the recharging operation, and, finally, to provide other minor detail improvements and simplifications which will hereinafter appear in the subjoined' description.

In the accompanying drawings we have illustrated a desirable form of apparatus in which our invention may be embodied, and referring thereto v Figure 1 is an irregular vertical section through the generation-chamber and hell on the line 1 1 of Fig. 2,'and Fig. 2 is a horizontal section on the line 2 2 of Fig. 1.

Referring to the drawings, 5 designates the Serial No. 154,756. (No model.)

stationary or outer tank or shell of the device, which is preferably in the cylindrical form shown. 7 The upper open end of the tank 5 is I entered by an annular-shaped bell 6. Within said tank, at the lower end thereof, is located the generation-chamber 7, the side walls of said chamber being constituted by the cylindrical walls of the outer shell or tank 5 and its upper and lower walls being constituted by conical plates or partitions 8 and 9,*respectively. The generation-chamber? opens freely into the lower end of a carbid-feed chamber 10, disposed 'thereabove and coax-- .ially therewith, this chamber being preferably formed by a tube or cylinder 11, resting upon or formed integral with the upper par: tition 8, extending upwardly and coaxially through the bell 6 and having a sufiicient diameter to admit a carbid-receptacle 12 and acarbid-feed mechanism 13 in the upper end thereof and permit the unobstructed fall of the car-bid therefrom into the generationchamber. The concave bottom plate 9 has a downwardly-inclined lateral outlet-tube 14,, g

pivoted tine Davis hereinabove referred to, to providea machine which shall be eifectively watersealed against the escape of gasvon both sides of the water inlet and discharge and. without the use'of valves; but it is an additional object of the present invention to provide-simpler, more conveniently located, and generally more efiicient means forthis purpose than in the.

patent mentioned. To this end for the charging of the generation-chamber with water we tap the side wall of the latter by an inlet-pipe 17, the upper end of which enters through the lower end of a small tanklS, attached to; the

side wall of the generation-chamben'and is surmounted by ahood 19, the top of the tank 18 being closed by a removable lid 20. When water is poured into the upper end of the tank 18 in-flushing the machine, the water rises around the upper end of the pipe 17 between it and the inner surface of the hood 19 until it overflows the upper end of the pipe and descends therethrough into the generation-chamher, and when the supply of water to the tank 18 ceases there is left a body of water in the lower portion of the tank 18, as seen in Fig. 1, which forms a liquid seal against the backward escape of gas and odors accompanying the same. On the opposite side of the main tank or shell of the machine and wholly externally of the lower end portion thereof is located a closed drainage-chamber 21, to the outer surface of which latter is applied an overflow chamber 22, which communicates with said drainage-chamber through a port or opening 23 near the lower end of the outer wall of said drainage-chamber, whereby bodies of liquid in said chambers may freely communicateand be maintained at the same level. The overflow-chamber 22 has an overflowspout 24 near its upper end, which determines the maximum height of the liquid in the two chambers under normal conditions.

The overflow for the water from the generation-chamber into the drainage-chamber is provided for as follows: 25 designates a horizontal pipe tapped in through the outer shell 5 at a point above thed'rainage-chamber, said pipe lying directly under they lower edge of the bell and at its inner end tapping the lower end of the inner cylinder 11, constituting the wall of the carbid-discharge chamber. The outer end of the pipe 25 is connected by a suitable T-coupling 26, plugged at its outer end with a pipe 27 which descends through the cover of the drainage-chamber 21 nearly to the lower end of the latter, whereby the overflow-pipe constituted by the pipe-sections 25 and .27 and the coupling 26 is constantly sealed.

The object of plugging the outer end of the pipe 25 or of the T-coupling which unites said pipe to the pipe 27 is to enable the pipe 25 to be readily cleaned from the outside of sediment which accumulates therein by the withdrawal of the plug and the insertion of a rod or scraper. 1

28 designates a pipe connected to and communicating with the overflow-pipe 25 through a suitable T- coupling 29, the upper end of which pipe is surrounded by -a hood 30, fastened to the top of the pipe, the lower end of which hood terminates below the level of the sealing liquid in the bell, being provided with a series of minute perforations through which the gas passes, bubbling up through the surrounding liquid, whereby it is washed, and passing thence through another surrounding hood 31 to the interior of the gas-holder bell, all as fully set forth and described in the patent to Augustine Davis hereinabove referred to. Behind these parts, as they are shown in Fig.

chamber into the body of the liquid contained therein.

36 designates a safety blow-off pipe located inside the bell, its lower end extending out through the wall of the main shell or tank 5,

also above the drainage-chamber, and provided with a short vertical pipe 37, communicating with its outwardly-extending horizontal member, and at its lower end tapping the cover of the drainage-chamber, stopping short of the upper surface of the liquid therein.

38 is a tube secured to and through the roof generation-chamber with water it is of course essential to provide some means for venting the a1r contained therein 1n order to get r1d of the same and prevent 1ts subsequent IIllX- ture with and deterioration of the gas subsequently generated. A simple means for effecting this result is shown herein in the form of a short bent pipe 40, the horizontal member of which taps the overflow-pipe 25 through the coupling member 26, while the vertical member descends through the cover of the drainage-chamber into the upper end of the latter above the sealing liquid, this pipe being provided with astop-cock or valve 41, which may be operated by hand or may be connected with the cover 20 of the water-inlet tank 18 by any suitable mechanism, so as to be opened and closed simultaneously with the latter in the manner disclosed in the patent to Davis hereinbefore referred to.

The operation, briefly described, is'as follows: The Valve 41 and the cover 20 having been opened water is poured into the tank 18 and rising inside of the hood 19 flows into and down the inlet-pipe 17 into.the genera-' 'tion-chamber, the water as it enters the latter age and overflow chambers 21 and 22 to the level of the overflow 24. Upon the operation of the carbid-feed mechanism the carbid falls into the water, thereby generating the gas, which rises through the pipes 25 and 28, thence through the washing apparatus surmounting the upper end of the pipe 28 and into the upper sealed end of the bell, whence it passes down through the pipe 33 into and through the filter 32, passing thence into and through the service-pipe 34 to the burners.

This machine is of the type wherein thegen oration-chamber is designed to beperiodically flushed with a fresh supply of water in the manner illustrated in the patent to Davis above referred to, although we have not herein shown means for eifecting such periodical flushing. It will be obvious, however, that the mechanism shown and described permits such flushing to occur while maintaining a uniform height of liquid in the generationchamber at a point which completely fills the latter and obviates the existence of an air-space within the latter above the surface of the wa- 5 ter, and, further, that the water may thus pass entirely through the machine without breaking the water seal at either end and without requiring the use of valves. The chief advantage of our invention, however, resides in i the fact that the location of the drainage chamber 21 ouside of the-main casing of the machine permits it to be readily gotten at for the purpose of cleaning or mending the pipes communicating therewith without the neces- ;5 sity of dismantling the main body of the machine.

We claim- 1. In an acetylene-generator, the combination with a generation-chamber, ofadrainagechamber located wholly externally thereof, and

a valveless water-sealed overflow connection between said generation and drainage chambers, said connection comprising a substantially horizontal pipe tapping said genera- 5 tion-chamber and leading outwardly to a point above said drainage-chamber and containing a removable plug in its outer end, and a depending pipe from said outer end of the hori zontal pipe extending into the drainage-cham- 0 her and terminating below the water-level therein, substantially as and for the purpose described.

2. In an acetylene-generator, the combination with the generation-chamber, of a drain- 5 age-chamber" closed at its upper end located wholly externally thereof, an overflow-chamber in free communication with the lower portion of said drainage-chamber, and an overflow-pipe communicating with theupper end of the generation -chamber and extending through the cover of the drainage-chamber below the level of the liquid therein, substantially as described. r

3. In an acetylene-generator, the combina- 5 tion with the generation-chamber and a super posed water-sealed bell, of a drainage-chamber located wholly externally of said generation-chamber, an overflow-pipe communicating with the uper end of the generation-chamber and extending into said drainage-chamber, and a pipe tapping said overflow-pipe and serving to conduct the gas from said generation- .chamber into the upper sealed portion of the bell, substantialy as described.

5. In an acetylene-generator, the combination with an outer shell or casing having a generation-chamber in the lower end thereof and a superposed water-sealed bell in its upper,

portion, of a water sealed water inlet. pipe communicatlng with said generation-chamber,

a drainage-chamber located wholly externally of said outer shell, an overflow-pipe connecting the upper end of saidgeneration-chamber j with said drainage-chamber and terminating in a Water-sealed pipe in. the latter, and a valved vent-pipe also in communication with V the .upper portion of said generation-chamber and serving to vent the latter of air when refilled with water, substantially as described.

6. In an acetylene-generator, the combination with an outer shell or casing having a generation-chamber in its lower end and a superposed water-sealed bell in its upper end, of a drainage-chamber closed at its upper endlocated wholly externally of said outer shell, an overflow-chamber in free communication with the lower portion of said drainage-chamber, an overflow-pipe connecting said generation and drainage chambers, a blow-off pipe leading from the gas-space of the bell out through the outer shell above said drainage-chamber and having a branch pipe'entering said drainagechamber above the level of the liquid therein, a valved vent-pipe establishing communication between the space above the generationchainber and the water-sealed upper end of the drainage-chamber, and a service-pipe having a drain-tube attachment also entering said drainage-chamber and extending below the level of the liquid therein, substantially as described.

AUGUSTINE DAVIS. JAMES H. BIRCH.

Witnesses:

\ALIGE L. ORULL, RUTH BARR. 

